Sewing-machine.



I. N KELSEY. SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1914. 1,177,570. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' 1?? var???" THE COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0,. WASHINGTON, D. c.

I. N. KELSEY. SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, [914. 1,177,570.

Z ifffelfi 912375:

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l. N. KELSEY.

SEWING MACHINE.

1,177,570. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, I914. Mar 28 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PH CCL, WASHlNG'lON D c 55 1nanufactin'ed. S uch feature of adjustabil- To all whom it may concern:

place between IVY N. KELSEY, 0F ALGOMA, WISCONSIN.

SEW'ING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

Application filed March 28, 1914. Serial No. 827,973.

Be it known that I, Ivy N. KnLsnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Algoma, in the county of Kewaunee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machines, of which the follgwing is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain improvements in sewing machines, and particularly to improvements in sewing machines which are intended to be used in the manufacture of nets, such as horse nets, etc. Nets of this class are generally formed by uniting a series of parallel cords or bars by means of crosswise extending webs. The webs are generally made of strips of webbing and are generally united to the cords or bars by a sewing process. For this purpose each web is made up from two strips of webbing between which the cords are laid and afterward the strips of webbing are sewed together along their length so as to sew the crosswise. extending cords in them. In order to produce a net having a finished appearance, it is desirable to evenly space the cords or bars, and therefore some means or process must be used whereby the cords will be evenly spaced before the webbing strips are sewed together. Heretofore it has been customary to temporarily attach the webbing strips to the cords by paste or cement of sufiicient tenacity to hold the parts together until the sewing operation could be completed. This pasting or cementing operation is tedious and consumes a considerable amount of time and labor, for which reasons it materially .increases the cost of manufacture of the net.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to overcome the necessity for such a pasting or cementing operation by providing a mechanism, either in the form of an attachment to the sewing machine or otherwise, which will evenly and correctly space the cords or bars between the webbing strips at a point immediately in advance of the needle, so that they will be immediately thereafter sewed securely in place and at the correct spacing.

Another object of the invention is to so associate such a spacing device with the sewing machine that the spacing of the cords or bars can be varied or adjusted according to the requirements of the net which is being ity is desirable inasmuch as the nets are manufactured with the bars placed at difmany as 180. In this connection another object of the invention is to provide for this adjustability of spacing either by varying the length of the stitch or by varying the nuinberof stitches which will be performed between two consecutive bars or by obtaining both of these variations simultaneously.

'Other objects and uses will appear from a detailed description of the invention, which consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawingsFigure 1 shows a plan view of a sewing machine of familiar form to which an attachment embodying the features of my invention is connected, a portion of netting being shown in the position which it assumes in the machine while a webbing strip is being attached; Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4ft of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the presser foot, needles and stitchadjusting mechanismyand Fig. 6 is a'per- I is. one which is provided with two needles, which are adapted to simultaneously stitch 7 parallel rows of stitching.

The net, which is shown in position in Figs. 1 and 5, comprises the longitudinally extending Webs 11, between which extend the parallel bars or cords 12. Each'web comprises the upper andlower strips of webbing 13 and 14, between which the cords are sewed, thereby securely connecting the cords in place. It is also customary to sew a cord or the like 15 between the strips of webbing for the purpose of reinforcing the webs,

though of course this cord might be eliminated if desired. WVhen a net is being manufactured in which use is made of the cord 1 t e n e f e asma hm ar as numeral 7. It

mounted as to straddle said cord, thereby providing a line of stitching on each side of the same. These facts are well illustrated in Fig. l, where the dotted lines 16 indicate the lines of stitching.

It is customary to feed the lower strip of webbing 14 into place through a guide or the like 17, and to feed the upper strip into place through a movable guide 18. WVhen the cord 15 is used, this is fed into place through still another guide 19, mounted somewhat in advance of the guide 18. In the particular construction illustrated the guide 18 is carried by the lower end of a feed foot 18 which oscillates back and forth. This feed foot by its oscillations serves to feed the webbing strip during the sewing operation. Constructions of sewing machine in which this webbing foot oscillates back and forth in this manner are well known in the art, and, therefore, I will not describe the same in further detail.

Heretofore it has been customary to cement or paste the cords or bars 12 to one of the strips of webbing, preferably the lower strip, at the correct uniform spacing, so that as said strip of webbing is drawn along in the machine by the presser foot or other feeding mechanism the cords will be properly spaced. In the present case I have obviated the necessity of this cementing operation by providing mechanism which will carry the cords or lashes individually in place periodically and uniformly during the operation of the machine. In the particular arrangement illustrated. this lash feeding mechanism takes the form of a U-shaped member 20. having the parallel bars 21 and 22. each of which is'provided on its upper surface with a hook recess 23. The rear connecting end of the member 20 is illust ated as connected to a bar 24 which is slidablv mounted in the g ideways 25 and 26, and the rear end of said bar 24 is shown as provided with a roller 27. A spring 28 creates a constant backward pull on the bar 24: so as to maintain the roller 27 in contact with a cam or the like 29. secured to the shaft 30. This shaft is suitably journaled and is provided with driving which in turn are operatively connected to the sewing machine through the medium of a belt 32 rid ng on the driving pulleys 33 on the main shaft of the sewing machine.

From the description thus far given it will appear that during the operation of the sewing machine the bar 24 will be periodically reciprocated. thus carrying the hooks 23 of the U-shaped member back and forth. The parts are so proportioned that in the extreme rearward position of the U-shaped member the hooks will carry a cord or bar in place either beneath or a short distance in front of the needles, and so that on the extreme forward movement of the Usshaped pulleys 31,

member the hooks will be projected so far forward that a cord or bar can be conven iently laid in them by the operator. 'The amount of this reciprocation need not be large and will probably average aboutan inch to an inch and a half. A convenient way to operate the machine and the attachment will be to lay a series of cords, preferably four or five, through the central open portion of the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 1, after which the operator will see that these cords are individually and successively engaged by the hooks 23 to carry them successively in place between the strips of webbing. It will be found that these operations can be performed very rapidly and accurately and that in this way the net can be very rapidly sewed together.

The table 8 is preferably providedwith a guide rib or edge 34, which is spaced from the line of stitching a distance equal to the desired distance between consecutive webs,

so that the operator can correctly space i the webs as the stitching proceeds by simply guiding the previously formed web along this guide edge.

It will be evident that the distance between consecutive cords or bars will be dependent upon the number of stitches performed between consecutive cords, multiplied by the length of each stitch. Therefore a variation either of the length of stitch or of the number of stitches performed during each reciprocation of the A bar 24: may be used for varying or determining the spacing between the co ds The sewing machine which is illustrated in the drawings is of a familiar construction and isprovidedwith a lever 35 pivoted at the point36, which lever may be swung back and forth to vary the length of stitch. Such mechanisms are familiar in the art of sewing machines and therefcre I will not.

illustrate and describe the particular mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5 in detail. It therefore follows thatthe length of the stitches, and consequently the distance between cords, can lie-adjusted by adjusting the position of the lever 35.

I have illustrated particularly in Fig. 1 a series of driving surfaces on each of the pulleys 31 and 33. It therefore fellows that the ratio between the speeds of rotation of the sewing machine shaft and of the shaft 30 can be adjusted from time to time'by shifting the belts 32 back and forth on these driving surfaces. For example, with the belt in the position shown in Fig. 1 the shaft 30 will be driven at a maximum speed, as-

suming that the sewing machine is driven at uniform speed, in which case the reciprocations of the bar 24 will be frequent, thereby permitting a minimum number of stitches to be accomplished for each reciprocation. On the other hand, if the belt be lso I shifted to another set of drivingsurfaces the ratio will be changed so that more stitches will be performed for each reciprocation. It therefore follows that I have provided means for varying the distance between cords or bars either by variation of length of stitch or by variation of number of stitches performed, or in both of these ways simultaneously.

It is frequently necessary to gain access to certain mechanisms which are contained in the lower portionof the sewing machine and immediately beneath the needles. In the operating position the member 20 will serve to close over these mechanisms and thus prevent access to them. I therefore prefer to provide a hinge connection be-' tween the bar 24 and the member 20 by means of the hinge 35, so that the member 20 can be raised when desired to gain access to the parts for the reasons above described.

By forming the member 20 of U-shape I am enabled to provide a hook 23 on each side of the needles, so that the cords will be accurately carried into position, throughout the entire width of the web which is being sewed. At the same time, by providing this U-shaped construction, I am enabled to accommodate the needles and other mechanisms, including the presser feed, between the bars 21 and 22, so that the member 20 will not interfere with the proper functioning of the remaining mechanisms of the machine.

While I have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of the features of my invention, still it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many other aroperating in equivalent manners to produce equivalent results.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described the combination with a Sewing machine having a pair of needles and a fabric feeding mechanism, and the table thereof, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a reciprocatory bifurcated member slidingly mounted with respect to the table in position adjacent to the fabric feeding mechanism, the bifurcations of said member lying out side of the lines of movement of the needles, hook portions on the ends of the bifurcations, means for reciprocating said member periodically during the operation of the sewing machine, and means for varying the distance of th fabric feed accomplished by the maa pair of needles and a fabric feeding mech-' anism, and the table thereof, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a bifurcated reciprocatory member slidingly mounted with respect to the sewing machine and adapted toreciprocate in a direction parallel to the direction of fabric feed, the bifurcations of said member lying out side of the lines of travel of the needles, hook portions on the ends of the bifurcations, means for reciprocating said member periodically during the operation of the sewing machine, and means for varying the distance of fabric feed accomplished between consecutive reciprocations, substantially as described.

In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having a pair of needles and a fabric feeding mechanism, and the table thereof, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a bifurcated reciprocatory member slidingly mounted with respect to the sewing machine and adapted to reciprocate in a direction parallel to the direction of fabric feed, the bifurcations of said member lying out side of the lines of travel of the needles, and means for periodically reciprocatingsaid member during the operation of the sewing machine, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding mechanism, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a bifurcated reciprocatory member slidingly mounted with respect to the sewing machine with its bifurcations out side of the line of travel of said needle, hook portions on the ends of the bifurcations, meansfor periodically reciprocating said member during the operationof the sewing machine, and means for adjusting the distance of fabric feed accomplished between consecutive reciprocations, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding mechanism, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a bifurcated reciprocatory member slidingly mounted with respect to the sewing machine with its bifurcations out side of the line of travel of the needle, and means for periodically reciprocating said member during the operation of the sewing machine, substantially as described. 7

I 6. In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding mechanism, of

an'upper webbing strip guide, a lower webb ng strip guide mounted on the table, a bifurcated member mounted for reciprocation with respect to the sewing machine, and"- adapted to reciprocate in a direction parallel to the direction of fabric feed, means for periodically reciprocating said member during the operation of the sewingmachlne,

' and means for varying the extent of fabric feed accomplished between consecutive reciprocations, substantially a described.

7. In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having aneedle and a fabric feeding device, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a member mounted for reciprocation with respect to 1 8. In a device of the class described the combination with a sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding device, of an upper webbing strip guide, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a member .mounted for reciprocation with respect to the sewing machine in a direction parallel to the direction of fabric feed, said member Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

a being provided vwith a-lash engaging'portion, and means for. periodically reciprocating said member during the operation of the sewing machine, substantially as described.

9. In adevice of the class described'the combination with a'sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding device, of an upper webbing strip gulde, a lower webbing strip guide mounted on the table, a member -mounted for reciprocationp'in a. direction parallel to the direction of fabric feed; said member lying adjacent to the needle, ala'sh' engaging projection on the member, and means for reciprocating the member during the operation of the sewing machine,

substantially as described.

10. In a device of the" class described the combination'witli a sewing machine having a needle and a fabric feeding device, of an upper webbing strip guide, a'lower webbingstrip guide mounted on the table, a'device mounted for reciprocation 1n a direction CO1? responding to the direction of fabric feed, said member being suitably formed to engage a lash for the purpose of drawing the same toward the needle and toward the fabric feeding device, and'means for periodically reciprocating'said member during the operation of the sewing machine, substantially as described. 7

' IVY N. KELSEY.- Witnesses: 1 V

A. W. HAMAGHEK, n A. H. WASSERBACH.

Commissioner of Patents, 

